Pore network modeling of two-phase flow in a liquid-(disconnected) gas system

The appropriate description of two-phase flow in some systems requires a detailed analysis of the fundamental equations of flow and transport including momentum transfer between fluid phases. In the particular case of two-phase flow of oil and gas through porous media, when the gas phase is present as disconnected bubbles, there are inconsistencies in calculated flow properties derived by using the conventional Darcean description. In a two-phase system, the motion of one fluid phase may induce significant changes in the mobility of the second phase, as known from the generalized transport equations derived by Whitaker and Kalaydjian. The relevance of such coupling coefficients with respect to the conventional relative permeability term in two-phase Darcean flow is evaluated in this work for an oil-(disconnected) gas system. The study was performed using a new Pore Network Simulator specially designed for this case. Results considering both, Darcy's equation and generalized flow equations suggest that the four transport coefficients (effective permeabilities and coupling coefficients) are needed for a proper description of the macroscopic flow in a liquid-disconnected gas system. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.